Feedback on Civil War & Soviet Union DSST Exams!

[marianne202]

I need some feedback from those that have taken the Civil War and Reconstruction exam and the Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union exam. I need some UL Arts & Sciences and these along with Money & Banking are all DSST offers. My problem is that I'm not a history or military buff. Can I realistically pass these exams with just IC and the specific exam feedback or will I need to read history texts? I haven't taken any history since grammer school / high school more than 30 yrs ago! To date I have passed every CLEP and scored A's on all my DSST exams, so I don't want to go and blow my GPA by failing one of these, plus I really need the credit. So please let me know what you honestly think my chances are of passing these exams! I will tell you the most difficult exam for me to date out of all the CLEP, DSST and ECE's has been the American Govt. That is why I'm worried about these. I had a hard time trying to get all the specific dates/people/events to stick. I don't have a problems with all the psych stuff or A&P stuff because I can relate it to something so I can remember it better. But I'm really scared about these history exams. So I'm turning to those who have taken it for honest feedback. Thanks!

[peace123]

If I passed it with an A you can too.

Keep doing the IC flashcards till you have it down pat, supplement with Civil War for Dummies book and the Ken Burns video's ( I watched them on you tube). YouTube - Ken Burns Civil War Intro <<this is the intro to the series & the Sparknotes which are online >>>SparkNotes: Reconstruction (1865–1877) & >>> SparkNotes: The Civil War 1850–1865

Also use the IC feedback section and you should have no problem as long as you put in the time to study it. It really is not as bad as it has been made out to be.

Peace123

[perrik]

I agree. These are not easy exams, but diligent study - and the Specific Exam Feedback section - will get you A scores!

The SparkNotes sections on the Russian Revolution, World War I, the Interwar Years, World War II, and the Cold War will help you with the Soviet Union exam. (yes, you'll have to read them all, but only the stuff that deals directly with the USSR) The SparkNotes for the Civil War & Reconstruction are also quite worthwhile. (and if you get hooked on history exams after all, the SparkNotes on the Vietnam War are also excellent)

[marianne202]

I don't mind doing some reading and I actually love the Spark Notes/Charts and Cliff's Notes. I use them every chance I can get. I just didn't want to try to muddle through a bunch of history books! I would need someone to keep waking me up. My hubby loves history and military history, so I may make him quiz me and help me study! Thanks for the info. It makes me feel like I may be able to tackle it!

[perrik]

I don't mind doing some reading and I actually love the Spark Notes/Charts and Cliff's Notes. I use them every chance I can get. I just didn't want to try to muddle through a bunch of history books! I would need someone to keep waking me up. My hubby loves history and military history, so I may make him quiz me and help me study! Thanks for the info. It makes me feel like I may be able to tackle it!

Well, let's just put it this way... the grand total of honest-to-goodness history books I read for the four history DSSTs: zero.

Granted, my love for history has been renewed (and I've got lots of great history leisure reading on tap!), but for the exams I just wanted to get the essentials. Wikipedia, SparkNotes, Dummies/Complete Idiot books, websites linked in the feedback section, and IC flashcards will serve you well.

[vickey64]

I would suggest checking your local library to see what they have on both topics. For Civil War and Reconstruction I read the Civil War for Dummies. Sorry I don't remember the title of the books I read on the Soviet Union, but they both covered their entire history. I also used google along with Instacert for both. The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union is probably the more difficult of the two, but I found it much more enjoyable, probably because it was new. Instacert will give you enough to pass the exam, but I don't think it will give you a real understanding and appreciation for either one. As for not being a history buff, don't decide just yet. I said the same thing a year ago but after taking a couple exams have decided to get a double major in Psychology and History. Maybe its not the history you don't like, but the repitition of U.S. History which is all we are exposed to from a very young age. Good luck.

[ShotoJuku]

[SIZE="5"]I posted this in April 2006...[/SIZE]

[COLOR="Navy"]I have just returned from taking the DANTES Rise & Fall of the USSR exam and have the following thoughts and observations.

First, I only elected to take this exam as it would fulfill my final 3 UPPER level credits and my depth requirement in history. Those are the ONLY reasons that prompted me to sit the exam otherwise I would not have considered it.

Secondly, as for the exam itself, I can sum it up this way - "Be prepared!" Thus far I have taken/passed nearly 2 dozen CLEP exams and one other DANTES (Civil War) and feel that this was the toughest of the bunch.

Here too with DANTES, the questions and answer choices are oddly written and YOU MUST know what the question is looking for even if it is written somewhat vaguely and the answers just don't seem to fit. I devoted the same amount of time to this exam as I have with every other that I have taken/passed thus far and that is 3 weeks of regular study.

I walked into the exam feeling comfortable and confident about the material and walked out feeling less certain about what my results might be. I felt that way about the Civil War exam too hoping for the bare minimum score of 47 and received a 62. With this one the bare minimum score is 45 and I "feel" that I will make the grade but not by much. Only time will tell and I suspect that I will have my results "hopefully" back around May 5th.

As for the material itself this is what I found:

There were 95 questions of which ......

approximately 15% were based on the Tsarist era (pre-1917) and went back to Alexander I.

Lenin and Stalin era's combined to around 50% of the exam.......

with another 20% on the Kruschev era......

and the balance of 15% on the Gorbachev era.

The topic itself runs around 100 years events and is thus a lot to digest and spread out over 95 questions, yet if you can grasp the meat of each particular era and of the persons and main events in each you should be OK.

Some have asked in other threads if using InstantCert "alone" will allow you to pass this one. For me, I would have to say no, but add that InstantCert addressed roughly 75% of the questions I saw. I also used 3-4 other books and a video on the topic which filled in the gaps yet I saw 3-5 questions on the exam with words, topics and events that were completely foreign allowing me to use my mighty power of "the best guess" option. CRAP!!

Anyway, I now know why there is a need for a spring break and the need to let loose. This exam was (to me) the toughest exam I have faced yet I believe that I did OK. Only one more to go and that is CLEP - College Mathematics - DOUBLE CRAP!!

Best of luck to all with this and all other exams!!![/COLOR]

[P00057870]

What video(s) did you watch? Can you even remember at this point in time.

I find audio visuals important for difficult subjects.

Judy